Luke chapter 14

vs 22

It must have been a big banquet, for all these poor and blind and lame people to all fit, and yet still have so much room. Apparently, this guy had heaps of people he thought were friends, but didn't end up wanting to eat his food!

vs 23

The guy holding the feast is absolutely keen on not seeing any of his food go to waste. The people who are now coming into the banquet are complete strangers, anyone who was walking the roads! That's the complete opposite of who was coming originally - his close friends.

vs 24

This is an important verse. It illustrates this complete turnaround that is intimated in the previous verse. Now those who were originally invited are actively spoken against - they won't be eating. Instead, those who were complete unknowns will be the beneficiaries.

So what was the point of this whole story? Remember back before - this story was in response to the guy saying "Blessed is he who eats at the feast in the Kingdom of God".

So Jesus is saying "When the crunch time comes, make sure you cash in your invitation to that feast up in heaven - otherwise, God will find someone to fill your seat. But it's not because God doesn't want to waste food - it's because he wants to show love. And if you don't want it (like Israel ended up basically turning their back on God's Saviour) then he'll go out and find people who do want it, who weren't originally invited (gentiles).

vs 25

So now, this verse shows us again there's a separation between the last story and a new story. This one is to a big crowd of people.

vs 26

Oooh, I remember preaching on this. Never been a huge problem for me, as my family contact isn't so close. I wouldn't say I hate my family, but if I needed to to be a Christian, it wouldn't be a big deal.

But of course, most people love their families, and so this is a bit of a shock to people. But we've got to remember what family meant to people back then. Sure, they loved them - but family was also a social security network - they were a safety net for you if things went bad.

Jesus is comparing hating your family to hating your own life. He doesn't want us to punish ourselves and hate ourselves. But he wants complete and total devotion. Notice the context - it's all about who can and who can't be Jesus disciple!

vs 27

"Carrying your cross" means being prepared to go and die on it too. If you aren't prepared to follow Jesus to the very end, even if it means someone nails you to a big bit of wood, then you aren't ready to follow Jesus. And people say being a Christian is easy!

vs 28

Of course you would.

vs 29-30

I'm sure they would say even worse than that! The point is, that if you plan to do something, but then wimp out half way because you didn't find out what was required of you first, then you look foolish.

vs 31

2:1 odds in a battle aren't good odds. My understanding of this verse is that the king doing the counting is the one being attacked - this then shows the difference between the tower example (you want something, so you see if you can afford it) and the king and his army example (you don't have a choice, so you try and do the best you can with what you've got).

vs 32

If you think you can't win the battle, you do what you can to make peace - because otherwise 20,000 soldiers will come and wipe the floor with you. Kings would give up huge ransoms of gold and treasure, even give up whole towns of people - just to save themselves from an invading army.

vs 33

Jesus is saying the same thing. If you want to be a Christian, it's got to be the first thing in your life. Not family, not your house, not even your own life comes first. Jesus is the master, and you give all those things to him.

vs 34

I must admit, I've always thought this was a weird way of putting it. It really only makes sense when you understand how salt came to the people of the ANE - in dirt. you had to roll it in your fingers to separate the dirt from the salt, apparently, to end up with salt that is, well, salty. When the salt loses its saltiness, therefore, it really becomes dirt.

vs 35

If it is just dirt, I wonder why it's not fit for the manure pile (or the soil for that matter)? Anyway, in the context of being a disciple, Jesus must be saying "What it is about being a disciple of mine, don't lose that intrinsic thing - if you do, how will you ever get it back?"